717 East Court Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Phone: (515) 244-5193
Fax: (515) 244-2204
"Sharing the Road
with Trucks"
A special course designed to educate young drivers about the importance of sharing the roads with trucks.
Safety is a top priority for everyone!
R. Scott Weiser, President
Dear Driver Education Instructor,
Thank you for making a commitment to teaching future motorists the skills they will need to safely operate a motor vehicle. Your time, your dedication and your commitment to this task is greatly appreciated. Because of your efforts, Iowa’s roadways and highways will continue to be safe.
Iowa’s trucking industry is committed to safety as well. Through a variety of efforts, today’s professional truck drivers possess even more skills that enable them to safely operate a truck each and every day. Each year the statistics speak for themselves, while the number of miles driven by big trucks consistently increase, the number of accidents where the truck was at fault continue to steadily decrease. This is a record that Iowa’s trucking industry is extremely proud of and is a tribute to the men and women who take their profession as a driver seriously.
Iowa’s trucking industry is also committed to working with educators and young drivers to teach them about the importance of sharing the road with trucks. Through this effort, thousands of drivers over the years, have learned about the basics needed to effectively and safely share the road with trucks. Through some very basic and common sense instruction, young drivers can learn the essentials needed to share the road with trucks.
This program was developed by the trucking industry and the federal Highway administration and has been proven to be very effective in the instruction of drivers. We are pleased that you are making the "Sharing the Road with Trucks" part of your drivers education curriculum that this tool along with your guidance will enable many young drivers to operate a motor vehicle in a safe manner.
We are all in this together and the trucking industry is happy to be a partner in the education and instruction of motorists. Together we all must continue to make safety a number one priority on our roadways and highways. Thank you for your assistance and good luck in your important role as a driver education instructor.
Sincerely,
R. Scott Weiser, President Brenda Neville, Vice President
Iowa Motor Truck Association Iowa Motor Truck Association
Sharing the Road with Trucks
Class Materials List:
*VCR & TV
*Sharing the Road with Trucks Video
*Exams
*No-Zone Poster
*No-Zone Information
*Consider contacting a trucking company within your community and ask them to supply a tractor-trailer unit and a professional driver. Ask the company to set up a display including the truck and two cars. Place the vehicles in the blind spot – no zone positions. This really helps the students experience the blind spots first hand.
If you need assistance in locating a trucking company in your community, please contact:
Iowa Motor Truck Association
717 East Court Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
(515) 244-5193
Additional Contacts regarding the program:
Brenda Neville Mike Isebrand
Iowa Motor Truck Association Federal Highway Administration
717 East Court Avenue 105 6th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309 Ames, Iowa 50010
(515) 244-5193 (515) 233-7400
Sharing the Road with Trucks
Suggested Class Outline:
Have the students break into small groups and have them draw the diagrams that demonstrate "No Zones" of a truck. If time allows, have them talk about their impressions of trucks on the road. Most people have had at least one negative experience with at big truck. Encourage the students to talk about big trucks and their impressions of big trucks. Through this discussion, the students will eliminate some of their fears about big trucks.
After the students are completed with the exam, review the answers and talk further about sharing the road with trucks.
*If you have a truck on display, have the students go out and see the display and look at the various blind spots. The written exam should be the last instruction activity you have.
"Sharing the Road with Trucks"
TRUCK AWARENESS AND SAFETY PROGRAM
STUDENT EXAMINATIONS
NAME__________________________________________DATE__________________
SCHOOL________________________________________GRADE________________
____1) Where are the blind spots on trucks?
____2) The "No Zone" represents danger areas around trucks where crashes are more
likely to occur. True or False?
____3) What is the minimum distance necessary to stop a truck traveling at 55 MPH?
____4) The ‘blind spot’ is the area around the truck in which the driver can not see you
or your car in his mirrors. True or False?
____5) Trucks can legally weigh up to 80,000 pounds and with special permits weigh
much more. True or False?
____6) As you pass a truck, when is it safe to pull back in front of it?
____7) Trucks may need to swing wide to the left in order to negotiate a right turn. You
should give:
____8) When you see a truck backing up to make a delivery, what should you do?
Let’s have some fun!
Name three items/products that were not delivered to your town with a truck.
1)_____________________________________________________________________
2)_____________________________________________________________________
3)_____________________________________________________________________
Answer Key